arcady Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Today marked the last game before Christmas, and the first game with the 5eR book at the table. Unfortunately due to the weak paper I had to keep the copy from being passed around - leaving the old book for that. It was confusing having so much of the game in different places, but this will be overcome with time and familiarity. I very much liked the new alternative for attack rolls that resolve them as if they were skill checks. I find it easier to say how much one made a skill roll by than what OCV+11-3d6 is. The math is the same, but the first method is more intuitive to gaming. Using it with the new to Hero player helped a lot. I liked the new section on Concealment. It seems to be new rules though, and not just a rewrite of something from the old book. At least I could not find an equivalent in the old book. Likewise the section for Recoveries was handy, though I was not able to find it during play (it's in the index, but I missed it by looking under recovery - taking). The organization makes me think several things will be easier to cross reference as I gain familiatiry with the new book, but I will first have to gain that familiarity. Things I never did find include what happens when I determine a PC is surprised - what phase I should start combat on if another PC is not surprised. I assumed 12 out of remembering how I thought I used to do it. I was also unable to determine what the facing chart on page 376 is for. It looks like a spread chart should be there given the nature of the section. I did not remember any facing rules in Hero beyond being attacked from behind. The perception section was handy - when I threw them in darkness I needed to figure out how well they could target the opponant in their midst, and it was easier to get all the information than it used to be for me. Overall, I suspect this book will be easier to use in the long run, although it does look more intimidating on the surface. In play, its organization and index should help to speed things along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Re: 5eR in play Sounds promising - thanks for the update. Does "weak paper" refer to something you discovered in use, or just your assumption based on the look? All the HG company folks keep assuring us that the new paper is actually a higher grade than that used in FREd, and just as strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Taylor Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Re: 5eR in play I also have used 5ER at the gaming table. I'm quite happy for players to pass it around as I doubt the paper will be an issue. Also, although I obviously have not read the entire tome I did take the time to thoroughly familiarise myself with the layout beforehand, and I can tell you that it is definitely easier to navigate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Taylor Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Re: 5eR in play I very much liked the new alternative for attack rolls that resolve them as if they were skill checks. I find it easier to say how much one made a skill roll by than what OCV+11-3d6 is. The math is the same' date=' but the first method is more intuitive to gaming. Using it with the new to Hero player helped a lot.[/quote'] That's the way I have always done it! I was also unable to determine what the facing chart on page 376 is for. It's for rolling the direction of a missed AoE attack, as explained in the text of the last paragraph on page 375, carrying over to page 376. It's exactly the same as the diagram that appeared for the same purpose in 5E, on page 248. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Hiemforth Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Re: 5eR in play Does "weak paper" refer to something you discovered in use' date=' or just your assumption based on the look?[/quote']It's his assumption based on the look. ...at least, that's my assumption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Re: 5eR in play That's the way I have always done it! Mich auch. It is not only a more intuitive construct but flows more naturally. It also allows the players to have a standard method for attacks. It also satisfies my need to not divulge too much information (it leaves the villains DCV more a mystery). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted December 25, 2004 Report Share Posted December 25, 2004 Re: 5eR in play I really, really don't think you need to worry about the paper. My wife has done book-binding and some paper-making; to properly qualify she refers to herself as a "book-binder" not "book-maker" (I'll add she's also a calligrapher, an excellent one, so works with paper a LOT though), and her understanding of what HERO has said about the paper plus her glance at it made her feel the paper will be just fine, not an issue. She is not at all claiming to be an authority, but I feel her opinion is highly valuable on this (of course I'm prejudiced, but she certainly has no reason to bolster HERO per se). The only thing I'd be careful about is watching the binding. It's a big book and perfect binding (the process applied to this, a standard and wholly normal commercial process, but one which is far from perfect) may or may not bear out well with a LOT of use. From what I've heard and can see, it will depend also on just how your book was done. Mine has some minor imperfections on each side, nothing big, but the book does also creak a bit as it's used, and for that reason (not the paper) I intend to not use it as a primary reference during games. But if your binding seems fine and doesn't creak or such, I think it'll be okay, assuming your players are reasonably mature adults in handling it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted December 25, 2004 Report Share Posted December 25, 2004 Re: 5eR in play I really' date=' really don't think you need to worry about the paper. My wife has done book-binding and some paper-making; to properly qualify she refers to herself as a "book-binder" not "book-maker"[/quote'] Probably to distance the profession from bookie. And knowing your wife, I'd use her as an expert witness for paper. (Hmm, can't think of a scenario for this. Death by papercuts?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Cross Posted December 25, 2004 Report Share Posted December 25, 2004 Re: 5eR in play Or she could testify on how long a partictular brand of paper would take to disintegrate on a rainy night..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted December 25, 2004 Report Share Posted December 25, 2004 Re: 5eR in play Or she could testify on how long a partictular brand of paper would take to disintegrate on a rainy night..... Oooo. Good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Cross Posted December 26, 2004 Report Share Posted December 26, 2004 Re: 5eR in play Thanks.(I still can't give you reputation yet......) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.